Four arrested in courthouse cocaine scheme

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BATON ROUGE - Police arrested four people this week in suspicion of stealing a large amount of cocaine from the 19th Judicial District Courthouse in Baton Rouge, and selling it around the parish.

Police arrested William Colvin and Debra Bell in suspicion of theft, malfeasance in office and drug charges yesterday. Both were workers in the Clerk of Courts Office.

They said in October Colvin took the cocaine using his key to the evidence vault, and he and Bell hid it at her house.

Investigators said Colvin distributed some of the cocaine himself, while Bell gave some to her son Colt Bell and another man, Terrance Ramirez, who sold it. They were also arrested in connection with the crime.

Police said Colvin and Bell confessed to the crimes, and Bell told them Ramirez and her son were extorting Colvin to steal drugs from the vault for them.

Police said in all, 22 kilograms of cocaine are missing from the vault.